En Kokaji
( ) | birthdate = March 7th | age = 25 (physical, a.m.) ≈550 (actual, lifespan 648 A.D. – ca. 1200 A.D.) | gender = Female | height = 173 cm (5’8”) | weight = 62 kg (137 lbs) | hair color = Dark brown | eye color = Blue gray | sign = | bloodtype = O+ | previous affiliation = | previous occupation = | previous team = | previous partner = Kōan Sugita | previous position = Captain (defected) | base of operations = Kokaji District (formerly) , (formerly) | education = | marital status = Single | family = Unnamed husband (deceased) | status = Deceased | shikai = Unknown | bankai = Unknown }} En Kokaji (小鍛縁, Kokaji En) was the founding Captain of the and a revolutionary who sought to bring peace to a war-torn during the Reconstruction era. A prominent figure in the first war against , Kokaji helped to secure stability within the . She was noted for her unconventional philosophy and her personal investment into the lives of her subordinates, considering herself to be an ambassador of justice and a servant of peace. Kokaji was also a mentor to Kōan Sugita during the time he served as her Lieutenant, and after his promotion to Captain the two would become close friends and intellectual confidants. Tragically, her commitment to what she believed to be a righteous cause eventually led her to defect from the Gotei 13 and attempt to overthrow the organization she had formerly served, which ultimately resulted in her death at the hands of her fellow Captains. The 10th district in the East Rukongai, Kokaji District, is named in her honor. Appearance Kokaji was a woman renowned for her surpassing beauty. She had a slender figure and was of average height with an elegant build, and she would often accentuate her curves by wearing tight-fitted clothing, especially those with low necklines. Her complexion was quite fair, she had long dark hair that she kept swept up gracefully and almost carelessly away from her face. Her nose was soft and small, her eyebrows thin and delicate, and her lips smooth with the permanent catch of a smile in the corner of her mouth. Kokaji had expensive tastes, with all of her wardrobe consisting of only the finest materials. She often adorned her hair with jewelry, which were typically gifts from her multiple male admirers. Even after her marriage she continued to wear whatever piece had captured her fancy, regardless of whether it had been a token of fondness from someone besides her husband or not. Her alluring gray-blue eyes, highlighted by dew-like drops of silver and veiled by dark eyelashes, hid her intentions well and served to mask her fiery convictions from those around her. The epitome of feminine charm, she snatched the hearts of many, yet very rarely reciprocated their affections. Nevertheless she was not above using her beauty at a tool to subtly persuade and coax others according to her own wishes, a tactic that was even effective among the battle-hardened warriors of the Gotei 13. Personality Kokaji was an individual who radiated self-confidence and an aura of mystery. Possessing boundless grace and indelible poise, she was independent and decisive, with her ambition tempered by her careful delegation of effort so that no energy was wasted and nothing was done without purpose. While imaginative and optimistic, believing that anything was possible with enough effort, intelligence, and consideration, she was also quite cynical and a harsh judge of others, nearly losing all faith in humanity on more than one occasion. Plagued throughout her life with insatiable curiosity, her natural thirst for knowledge prompted her to train herself in a wide realm of subjects. Her interests applied to anything she deemed valuable, and over the years she taught herself how to brew sake, forge swords, read, and use , amongst many other things. Her insightful observations, original ideas, and formidable logic allowed her to affect change by her sheer willpower and strength of personality, and she imbued her work with a sense of morality and perfectionism. While she was considerate and accommodating towards others, it was easy for her to lose respect if someone refused to see the grand scheme behind her endeavors. Particularly this applied to Head Captain Genryūsai Yamamoto, whom she was known to have a keen distaste for. Kokaji was often focused on reconstructing the systems and ideas with which she came into contact, with a mind towards improving the lives of others. She disregarded tradition and occasionally, the law itself, seeing them as an anathema to progress. Kokaji was unimpressed by authority, especially those who used power as an argument for legitimacy. Rationalism and morality were to be followed above all else, regardless of the opinions of others or the so-called “legality” of an action. Her creativity, logic, and confidence molded her into an individual who stood on her own and took responsibility for her own actions, even when she was in the minority, and she was known for her particular fearlessness when pursuing a goal. Above all, however, she strove to remain rational and was cautious in her thought process, refusing to act on impulse no matter how attractive an opportunity might have seemed. Nothing was done without first carefully calculating the situation and determining whether or not an outcome was feasible. Because of this she could be extremely harsh and insensitive, and was judgmental towards those she considered to be narrow-minded and illogical. Yet despite her exacting attitude she remained a firm idealist and hopeless optimist at heart, believing that it was best to look for and encourage the good in others rather than focusing on the negative. Marked by unwavering confidence, Kokaji nevertheless preferred to sequester herself from the spotlight. She remained aloof and disinterested in the triviality of social interactions, allowing the bright beacon of her nobility and composure to naturally attract others with similar interests to her cause. She considered life to be a complex matrix of constantly shifting information, tactics, strategies, instigations, contingencies, and subtleties; and she manipulated this knowledge in order to outmaneuver her peers and maintain control. Surprisingly, while she typically hid her own emotions in public, she was an expert in determining the character of others, allowing her clarity of mind and expert understanding of human nature to guide her in her analysis of their intentions. She possessed a surprising depth of emotion and could be unusually expressive at times, having learned to channel her emotions and use them as an indicator in circumstances where logic failed. Friends and foes alike were subject to the efficient, impartial knife of her imaginative and impregnable stratagem, and she could be quite ruthless in carrying out her schemes. While she was cold and rational in this regard, she refused to use morally unjust or questionable means to achieve her goals, and she never acted without a conscience. Supremely secure in her rationalism, she had no reason to doubt her own conclusions. She was not adverse to being proven wrong, and often relished such occasions as they were rare and intellectually stimulating. Thus, while she remained a revolutionary to the very end, she was noted for remaining calm and detached from the often emotionally charged conflicts she encountered in her fight to reform the system. Relationships *'Genryūsai Yamamoto:' Unlike many of her contemporaries, Kokaji did not see Yamamoto as a demon. Rather, she considered him to be a short-sighted and foolish man who claimed nobility in his cause while in the end seeking nothing more than self-preservation. She strongly disagreed with his method of using force to enact order, and saw through the hypocrisy of his actions. While he claimed to uphold tradition and the law, she found his actions to be heavily colored by anger and malice. She accused him of acting in his own interests, particularly that of empowering himself and his affiliates at the expense of others. In the end, however, Kokaji’s goals remained similar to that of Yamamoto’s, and she joined forces with him for a time out of necessity. After the establishment of the and quenching of the Rukongai uprisings, she became angered that Yamamoto imposed further oppression as opposed to establishing justice. In her eyes, he was no different than the ruling system that had preceded the Gotei 13, and the manner in which he handled the Quincy Blood War further ingrained this opinion of him. *'Ichiei Kuchiki:' Unusual for her approach to most situations in her life, Kokaji’s relationship with her husband was based not on intellectual rationalism but rather on deeply rooted affection and unconditional love. She herself confessed that this was in many ways illogical, and that the fact they had even married at all might have been considered contrary to common sense. However, Kokaji found Ichiei’s enthusiasm and mutually held ideals to be supportive and deeply satisfying. He was an imaginative and encouraging companion, and their relationship was marked by a huge degree of independence and trust. While she might not have been as romantically expressive as Ichiei was, she used her knowledge and their deep understanding of each other to ensure that both their needs were met. They shared many traits that created a sense of belonging to each other, which seemed to be strengthened by the keen awareness of the limited time they had together. Ichiei’s extraversion helped to balance Kokaji’s own traits, keeping her in touch with her emotional side while she brought stability and dependency to Ichiei, especially during the difficult last stages of his illness. *' :' Kokaji found Nimaiya to be an unpredictable and amusing individual. His unorthodox approach to forging swords is what initially drew her to him, and it did not take much deliberation on her part before she decided to sponsor his Zanpakutō project. She appreciated his unorthodox methods and untraditional ideals, although she considered his irrationality and impulsivity to be a hindrance in his art. She was one of the first to receive a Zanpakutō forged by Nimaiya, but after he decided to join Yamamoto’s organization she withdrew her support, an event which resulted in a mutual loss of respect and left a distinct bitterness between the two former business partners. History Powers and Abilities Quotes Trivia